Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #A2Council
Most recents (19)
I met Wash. County Commissioner Candidate Crystal Lyte last week. Crystal is great! I donated to her campaign here:
electcrystallyte.com
Her opponent in the August primary is local banker Stephen Lange Ranzini. You should not vote for Stephen. #a2council (๐งต)
electcrystallyte.com
Her opponent in the August primary is local banker Stephen Lange Ranzini. You should not vote for Stephen. #a2council (๐งต)
Stephen donated to Donald Trump. He seems to think that's NBD because he also donated to Dems and it was after "Hillary lost."
Do you know any committed Dems who donated to Trump after Hillary lost?
No? I don't either.
Do you know any committed Dems who donated to Trump after Hillary lost?
No? I don't either.
Like many Trump donors, Stephen thinks that "business experience" is a qualification for holding public office, notwithstanding the fact that running a for-profit business isn't at all like running a government.
Does Stephen have a "good track record" running a small business?
Does Stephen have a "good track record" running a small business?
โMore than 3,000 people are considered homeless within Washtenaw County according to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (SAWC).
#A2Council #Ypsi #WashtenawCounty #HousingCrisis 1/4
clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-โฆ
#A2Council #Ypsi #WashtenawCounty #HousingCrisis 1/4
clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-โฆ
"Community members can join the association for its โHustle for Housingโ rally on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Liberty Plaza to raise awareness about hunger, homelessness and affordable housing. 2/4
โEven with providing services to more than 1,300 homeless individuals annually; we still have a crisis when it comes to affordable housing across #WashtenawCounty. 3/4
Getting the โNot All Landlordsโ nonsense from the usual #A2HAHA suspects over on facespace. #A2Council 1/4
Sure, there are landlords who are ethical, work hard to serve tenant needsโฆ and protect their investments which are paid for byโฆ [checks notes] their tenants. 2/4
Best thing these (some of them self promoting social justice warrior) landlords can do is to turn over their properties to the communities they are currently making bank on and use their skills to help with cooperative property management. 3/4
Excellent content in this #a2council thread from @A2LuisVazquez
It keys into some thoughts I've had regarding the functioning of our council, and the way some residents and CMs appear to (mistakenly) conceptualize that functioning.
It keys into some thoughts I've had regarding the functioning of our council, and the way some residents and CMs appear to (mistakenly) conceptualize that functioning.
Some folks use the pejorative "voting in lockstep" esp, w/ respect to when CMs vote w/ Mayor Taylor.
I want to unpack that pejorative a little bit, #a2council.
My first thought here is that there are only 2 ways a CM can vote (3 if we count abstaining, which we shouldn't).
I want to unpack that pejorative a little bit, #a2council.
My first thought here is that there are only 2 ways a CM can vote (3 if we count abstaining, which we shouldn't).
So with that yes/no binary structural limitation in mind (which apparently isn't as obvious a limitation to some as it is to me), let's travel further upstream of the moment when #a2council members cast their votes.
One interesting thing here #a2council, is that it's actually far simpler, upon discovering a mistake, to immediately do what is necessary to correct the mistake, learn from it, and move on โ now better equipped to avoid similar mistakes.
Imagine, for example, #a2council, if the very first time Mr. Crawford made one of his many unfortunate remarks, it had been immediately reported, and substantial remedial action had been successfully taken.
But โ and this is a big but โ that would have required a workplace culture of widespread trust, honesty, accountability/transparency, sincere collegiality, etc. in and around #a2council.
#a2council
I am in a low level admin position where I work.
One thing ppl must learn as they rise higher in an organization is that there are things one may need to discuss confidentially 1-on-1 in private with a trusted co-worker at a similar level in the hierarchy to one's own.
I am in a low level admin position where I work.
One thing ppl must learn as they rise higher in an organization is that there are things one may need to discuss confidentially 1-on-1 in private with a trusted co-worker at a similar level in the hierarchy to one's own.
I can't say every thought that crosses my mind out loud to everyone in my workplace.
But problematic, decision impairing thoughts don't magically disappear just because they're bad and I shouldn't have them.
I have bad thoughts sometimes, and they can get in my way.
But problematic, decision impairing thoughts don't magically disappear just because they're bad and I shouldn't have them.
I have bad thoughts sometimes, and they can get in my way.
I need to say that sh*t out loud sometimes to get it out of my head & move on to a better place for making a good decision.
But I also need to be careful to only say that sh*t to ppl I know won't be harmed by seeing me at my worst โ and will sincerely help me meet my challenges.
But I also need to be careful to only say that sh*t to ppl I know won't be harmed by seeing me at my worst โ and will sincerely help me meet my challenges.
Slander in MI is defamatory & false statements designed to stop third parties from interacting with individuals. Ann Arbor Council Member Ali Ramlawi is openly attempting to do this to me, a BIPOC anti-segregation activist, with his city Facebook account. A thread.
#a2council
1/9
#a2council
1/9
"Communications are defamatory if they โharm the reputation of another as to lower him in the estimation of the community or to deter third persons from associating or dealing with him.โ Swenson-Davis v. Martel...(Mich. Ct. App. 1984)." #a2council
2/9
2/9
The image below and tweet immediately above are from this link:
tish.law/2017/09/13/slaโฆ
#a2council
3/9
tish.law/2017/09/13/slaโฆ
#a2council
3/9
I want to apologize to the members of the public โ particularly any Black members of the public โ who were listening to our #A2Council meeting tonight and heard a caller, during a scheduled public hearing, use an offensive & unacceptable racial slur before being quickly cut off.
I was disgusted and enraged by this caller, and I firmly reject his hateful beliefs. Sadly, however, I was not surprised that this happened.
Frankly, racism is still a very real and present force in our society which impacts the lives of people of color each and every day.
Frankly, racism is still a very real and present force in our society which impacts the lives of people of color each and every day.
Racism is, in some ways, more visible because of the platform provided by our president and exacerbated by the anonymity provided by our COVID-era virtual settings; however, the despicable ideology on display tonight isnโt isolated to this call or daily one-on-one interactions.
๐ฃ๏ธ๐ขIf you know me IRL or through #a2council, you know I make videos to help unelect bad local politicians. Cupertino, CA has been taken over by some of the worst NIMBYs in the country. This election may determine the final fate of segregation in the US.
You haven't seen new videos from me in the last few weeks because I have doubled down on researching current Cupertino Mayor "build a wall" Scharf and his sidekick Kitty "Q Anon, but for Apple Engineers" Moore. They are both seeking seats on council.
defeatscharfandmoore.com
defeatscharfandmoore.com
Kitty Moore gets a weird nickname because she's so obsessed with watching her property value increase, she makes flippant claims about Apple employees who would rent new housing bringing prostitutes to the suburbs. She says the things even Trump won't say.
I'm live tweeting an historic city council meeting in the hometown of Betsy DeVos, Holland, Michigan. They are discussing and voting on an ordinance to guarantee housing and employment protections for LGBTQ residents.
The meeting starts with an extremely touching and heartfelt prayer by Mayor @NathanBocks. He ask God for help getting neighbors to care for each other and everyone's well-being, even we people they don't interact with everyday.
Onto the consent agenda, contracts for public works and other stuff including 4-H. Meeting attendies can speak to remove items from the agenda. The consent agenda passes.
Today is the 3rd anniversary of the 1st day the @NotPoliticians Prop 2 petition volunteers collected signatures to end gerrymandering in Michigan. A thread:
@KTeaFahey was the first Michigander to sign, right after we received "as to form" approval from the state.
1/12
@KTeaFahey was the first Michigander to sign, right after we received "as to form" approval from the state.
1/12
That 1st day, just our Holland team collected over 1,000 signatures in 7 hours. 464 was the daily goal for all Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon & Allegan counties. West Michigan used to be famously conservative, and the ballot initiative was wildly popular there. (attn:@RepHuizenga)
2/12
2/12
Petition circulation program planning really started in May. I used voter data & a lifetime of experience as a campaign nerd (hi, #electiontwitter) in my home state to produce regional goals. I built a dashboard & spec'ed out a database Jack Jennings, an Ann Arborite, coded.
3/12
3/12
#a2council needs to support change (thread)...
The changes Ann Arbor *needs* in housing policy (whatever we decide they might be) are not going to be easy changes to make, but trying to protect us all from change is 100% assured of making everything worse.
(pic related)
1/
The changes Ann Arbor *needs* in housing policy (whatever we decide they might be) are not going to be easy changes to make, but trying to protect us all from change is 100% assured of making everything worse.
(pic related)
1/
This is, for example, why "protecting neighborhood character" is, w/ total certainty, the wrong *policy* choice. We need to collaborate to *change* the character of our neighborhoods w/ policies crafted to *improve* them.
There *are* problems w/ them.
2/
There *are* problems w/ them.
2/
To do that we will need some help from "neighborhood character protectors". Such voices can *help* in the process of policy making to filter out potential negative consequences that might not be so easily seen by those of us more excited about change.
3/
3/
iโd like to address something i heard from CM Eaton at #a2council last night about the affordable housing millage. it may have been echoed by other CMs.
what i heard was a criticism of the millage because it did not provide a path to home ownership.
1/
what i heard was a criticism of the millage because it did not provide a path to home ownership.
1/
i have experienced a lot of housing insecurity this year, dating back to november. there were a couple months that i was living in my car, some of the coldest days i took shelter at the warming center in delonis.
not once was i thinking about my path to home ownership.
2/
not once was i thinking about my path to home ownership.
2/
i was desperately looking for an apartment or a room to rent. i was trying to get off the streets, so i could get some rest, so i wouldnโt have to go through my days constantly sleep deprived. i was taking my showers at the ymca, a process which took an hour each day.
3/
3/
One question I've been hearing about the proposed #a2council affordable housing millage is, "why 20 years?"
The quick answer is that a millage less than 20 years reduces our ability to obtain federal funds to build the housing. partnersforaffordablehousing.org
The quick answer is that a millage less than 20 years reduces our ability to obtain federal funds to build the housing. partnersforaffordablehousing.org
The power of the local millage is that it gives us money to leverage federal low income tax credits, the major revenue source for building affordable housing.
Since the goal is that about 1/4 of units would be permanent supportive housing w/ robust services, to access these federal funds we would need to show that we could provide those services for 15 years. If we can't show that, our ability to be get the funds takes a nosedive.
Good morning, #a2council! I had terrible insomnia after last nightโs Council meeting, so I wrote this thread about moms and bicycles and also Philadelphia, somehow. It's more personal than I usually get in public, by a lot. Here goes. 1/
My mother (may her memory be a blessing) was a pediatric radiologist. She spent most of her career at an underfunded childrenโs hospital in North Philadelphia, reading x-rays and other scans of sick and injured kids. 2/
Growing up, a lot of the rules we had around safety were the direct result of her work, where she became intimately familiar with the mundane, everyday ways that kids get broken. 3/
Look at these racist NIMBYs line up in Ann Arbor to pay lip service to anti-racism as they plot ways to preserve their "neighborhood character."
#a2council
#a2council
Bank CEO Stephen Ranzini said he suffered worse racism than Black people growing up in the 80s at a New Hampshire prep school & at Yale because he was German and Italian. His dad bought him that bank in 1988 when he was 23. He also said he has no issue with people loving Hitler.
His good friend, Council Member Jeff Hayner votes to block affordable housing in Ann Arbor in order to help his homeowner friends hoard wealth while making housing too expensive for Ann Arbor workers.
Housing can be affordable or can be an investment, it can't be both.
Housing can be affordable or can be an investment, it can't be both.
Apparently there is some misinformation flying around tonight about the Ann Arbor Transportation Commission. Hereโs a little thread about what TC is, why it exists, who serves on it, and all the power it doesnโt have. 1/ #a2council
Disclosure: I am the recently elected chair of Transportation Commission, and have served on it for a year and a half. This thread is factual to the best of my knowledge, and I speak only for myself and my 3 bicycles. 2/ #a2council
Here's the intro of the ordinance establishing TC: "The Transportation Commission is established to foster excellence in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of a sustainable and resilient multimodal transportation network for the City of Ann Arbor... 3/ #a2council
iโm at city hall for the first meeting of the center of the city task force
introductions. jeff hayner. he likes parks in petoskey and chicago.
chip smith wants an outstanding public amenity. he likes the highline and washington sq park in cincinnati
#A2Council
Here's a strange moment from last night's council meeting in which CM Hayner appears to call for elimination of the mayoral veto from the Ann Arbor city charter.
The reasons this is strange to me take some explaining, so please read on after watching the clip.
Here's a strange moment from last night's council meeting in which CM Hayner appears to call for elimination of the mayoral veto from the Ann Arbor city charter.
The reasons this is strange to me take some explaining, so please read on after watching the clip.
Here's a summary explanation of the two main kinds of city governance that exist in the U.S. taken from the National League of Cities website.
It's particularly notable here that Ann Arbor has a hybrid version of the strong and weak mayor systems described.
It's particularly notable here that Ann Arbor has a hybrid version of the strong and weak mayor systems described.
In Ann Arbor the mayor gets his veto power (and the power to make various appointments) by being directly elected by the citizens of Ann Arbor. He is the only one on council with that distinction, which he has to add a layer of "checks-and-balances" style representation for us.
